RASC News Agency: The Middle East Studies Center, in a recent analytical report, revealed that Saif al-Adl, the leader of al-Qaeda, has returned to Afghanistan. Saif al-Adl has recently called on his followers to migrate to Afghanistan, where they can undergo training to continue their jihadist activities. Al-Adl, a founding member of al-Qaeda, was previously responsible for Osama bin Laden’s security and is believed to have trained some of the hijackers involved in the September 11 attacks.
Earlier this year, the “Long War Journal” cited an article written by al-Adl, under the pseudonym Salem al-Sharif, titled “Gaza: An Existential War, Not a Border Conflict.” In this piece, al-Adl urged his supporters worldwide to come to Afghanistan, emphasizing that they should gain military experience and draw lessons from the Taliban’s successes. He advised, “The faithful of the ummah who desire change must learn from the situation here and benefit from the experiences (of the Taliban).”
According to this report, Saif al-Adl had been residing in Iran. However, in a recent analysis published on the Middle East Studies Center’s website on September 18, former U.S. intelligence officer Douglas London and former Afghanistani ambassador to the UAE Javid Ahmad disclosed al-Adl’s current presence in Afghanistan. They further suggested that Hamza Saleh bin Saeed al-Ghamdi, a former bodyguard to both Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, may soon join him in Afghanistan.
The analysts noted that al-Ghamdi has likely married one of Ayman al-Zawahiri’s daughters and had been living near the site in Kabul where al-Zawahiri, the previous al-Qaeda leader, was killed in a U.S. missile strike. The Middle East Studies Center also indicated that al-Qaeda’s current deputy leader is likely Abdul Rahman al-Maghribi, for whom the U.S. has placed a $7 million bounty. Al-Maghribi, another of al-Zawahiri’s sons-in-law, had long served as a key figure managing al-Qaeda operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan before fleeing to Iran.
While a recent U.N. monitoring report suggests that al-Maghribi remains in Iran, it is believed that both he and Saif al-Adl have made occasional trips to Afghanistan. London and Ahmad argue that these movements are under the oversight of the Islamic Republic of Iran and require the approval and facilitation of Tehran. Furthermore, the Middle East Studies Center warned that the expansion of Taliban-controlled jihadist schools is significantly exacerbating extremism in Afghanistan. The report emphasizes that these schools are cultivating a new generation of militants who could pose an even greater threat than the current Taliban leadership.
